I think the name says it all. Bring a bottle of vodka and/or wine and leave the bullshit, ignorance, and machismo at the door. This is just a place for me to rant, show my likes and dislikes and hopefully strike up some dialogs.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers.

Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report available Saturday.

Women were more likely than men to have had a major bout of depression, and younger workers had higher rates of depression than their older colleagues.

Almost 11 percent of personal care workers -- which includes child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs -- reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.

During such episodes there is loss of interest and pleasure, and at least four other symptoms surface, including problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image.

Workers who prepare and serve food -- cooks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses -- had the second highest rate of depression among full-time employees at 10.3 percent.

In a tie for third were health care workers and social workers at 9.6 percent.

The lowest rate of depression, 4.3 percent, occurred in the job category that covers engineers, architects and surveyors.

Government officials tracked depression within 21 major occupational categories. They combined data from 2004 through 2006 to estimate episodes of depression within the past year. That information came from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which registers lifetime and past-year depression bouts.

Depression leads to $30 billion to $44 billion in lost productivity annually, said the report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The report was available Saturday on the agency's Web site at http://oas.samhsa.gov

The various job categories tracked could be quite broad, with employees grouped in the same category seemingly having little in common.

For example, one category included workers in the arts, media, entertainment and sports. In the personal care category, a worker caring for toddlers at a daycare center would have quite a different job from a nursing aide who helps an older person live at home rather than in a nursing home.

Just working full-time would appear to be beneficial in preventing depression. The overall rate of depression for full-time workers, 7 percent, compares with the 12.7 percent rate registered by those who are unemployed.

Friday, October 12, 2007

OSLO (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the U.N. climate panel won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their part in galvanizing international action against global warming before it "moves beyond man's control."

The award appeared to be a snub to President George W. Bush, who has doubted the science of global warming and rejected caps on emissions of gases believed to cause it, but the White House said it was happy for the winners and praised their work.

Gore, who lost narrowly to Bush in the 2000 presidential election, and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were chosen to share the $1.5 million prize from a near record field of 181 candidates.

The Nobel Committee said the award was made because of their efforts to draw attention to mankind's impact on the climate and measures needed to address it before rising temperatures bring droughts, floods and rising seas.

Gore has lectured extensively on the threat of global warming and last year starred in his own Oscar-winning documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth" to warn of the dangers and urge action against it.

"He is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted," the Nobel committee said. "The IPCC has created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming."

INCREASED DANGER

The citation also warned of the increased danger of conflicts if not enough is done to address global warming, blamed by many scientists on emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

It was the second Nobel peace prize for a leading U.S. Democrat during the presidency of Republican Bush, who rejected the 1997 Kyoto Protocol setting limits on industrial nations' greenhouse gas emissions.

The 2002 prize went to former President Jimmy Carter, which the Nobel committee head at the time called a "kick in the legs" to the U.S. administration over preparations to invade Iraq.

But chairman Ole Danbolt Mjoes said the prize for Gore was not meant as criticism of Bush. "A peace prize is never criticism of anyone, a peace prize is a positive message and support to all fighting for peace in the world," he said.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Here's the new video from The Polysics (think The Buggles meets Hellogoodbye). Yes, they are from Japan. Yes, they are crazy fun, and they make some pretty good music. Catch them on tour with Hellogoodbye. Looks like I am making another trip down to Dallas.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Those that read this blog know I love quotes. Short and simple, good quotes can say many things about anything in a short amount of space. Every issue, Men's Health places some quotes pertaining to their "theme" that runs current in each issue. This month's theme pertains to starting something new, an endeavor not easily or quickly accomplished that usually has benefits pertaining to one's physical, mental and spiritual well being. Starting new tasks or setting new goals can be scary, gratifying, stressful, joyful, disappointing, and hopefully rewarding. In my opinion, what stops many from partaking in this experience, or putting one off, is the fear of the unknown and failure. Yet it is exactly these reasons that a new endeavor can be so rewarding. Conquering fears and learning from our mistakes only allows us to grow as people. It allows us to develop a greater sense of who we are, and the part we play in the world. With that said here are the quotes from this issue I find inspiring, and hopefully they help or convince you to try something new.

THE SMARTEST THINGS EVER SAID ABOUT... LAUNCHING A QUEST

* The status quo sits on society like fat on cold chicken soup and it's quite content to be what it is. Unless someone comes along to stir things up there just won't be change.Abbie Hoffman

* It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.Josiah Stamp

* A problem is a chance for you to do your best.Duke Ellington

* You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.Charles Bukowski

* All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.John F. Kennedy